Tongariro Crossing

Tongariro Crossing
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We left our accommodation at about 7am and arrived at the drop off point at about 8am. With high spirits, we started our trek through a relatively inclined field surrounded by majestic hills covered with endemic plants. At a distance, Mt. Ruapehu could be seen but because of the low lying clouds, it’s as if nature was teasing you of what could have been on a clearer day. About an hour in, we reached Soda Springs. There really wasn’t much there. It was a small waterfall punctuated by a toilet. As it turns out, this is the precursor to what they call Hell’s Staircase. Or something to that effect.

Tongariro Crossing
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Hell’s Staircase is known for an intense incline which can only be described as the stairway to Shelob’s Lair in “The Return of the King”. It may be not as steep as the one in the movie, but it felt as if it would never end. It was shoddy at parts considering there were loose rocks ready to hit your face caused by the trekker right in front of you. And because of the fog, there were several pseudo-summits which were not as helpful. Then again, maybe it did. At the end, I was cold except for my very sweaty back... thanks to my backpack.

It was *that* surreal.

Tongariro Crossing
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On top, there really wasn’t much to enjoy since it was covered in fog. Imagine that poster from “Silent Hill”, only more adventurous. This was what they called the Red Crater. It was relatively flat and this may have caused a bit of celebratory shenanigans.

Little did we know that there was another incline up ahead. It was an incline up to the summit of the various craters surrounding the area. It was a weird experience since we were greeted with what felt like 120km/h winds (we were later informed that it was only about 90km/h, but of course, we’ll stick to our estimation), soft sand and small slippery rocks and a passageway only as wide as your arms fully extended side by side. Moreover, the winds were so strong that breathing and maintaining your balance was a challenge. Because it was foggy, we didn’t know that if we fell either side, we would either have slid off the side of the volcano or fell into the crater itself. In short, it was an experience I wouldn’t mind experiencing again. Once we reached the summit and we headed downhill, the weather started to cooperate with sunshine allowing us to appreciate the amazing set of Emerald Lakes. Caused by volcanic sulfur deposits, these lakes give off an amazingly pungent smell of really rotten eggs and shimmering colours of blue.

Tongariro Crossing
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We pressed on down the volcano, across another crater and up another steep hill to reach the Blue Lake. Having the word “blue” besides “lake” may come off a bit redundant, but it is honestly the best word to describe it. From this point, we had the opportunity to see what we have passed so far and it looked really intense.

Heading downhill, it was composed of various New Zealand floras along the side of the volcanic area. It was quite amazing to notice how different the vegetation is as one goes down the mountain: it stared off with absolutely nothing then went off to shrubby pathways then into the dense bush. There were parts when we had to jump through streams and go through patches of ice and they were a safe escape from the monotony of volcanic rock. I personally found this part as taxing as the Hell’s Staircase since it imposed intense pressure on my knees and that the intense high steps going through the bush does not really help at all. Also, the ice was very slippery. We arrived at the pick up point at 3 in the afternoon, one hour early.

There were other two side-trips involving the Tongariro Crossing which involves climbing two other summits. I believe it was Mt. Ngauruhoe and the other one is the one that I cannot remember. We did not do either option because considering we called one spot “The Place Where We Almost Died”, it didn’t seem smart to test our luck.

It was a really intense Saturday because I did something that I would not normally do (I’d like to think I’m a city person) and that the rewards are something that I’d probably brag about for months. The question this time is whether I would do it again and the answer to that is definitely: I wouldn’t mind trying my luck up those two other summits.

All I can say is that it was amazing. Even if I wanted it to end sooner, when it did finish, it was so quick as if I did not actually do it. All that there is left are the photos that I took, my sore thighs and this cold that I'm nursing. It was *that* surreal.